[On Washington, D.C.:] There was no other city in the world where rumor fed upon itself so virulently. Whispers wiped out careers just as cholera destroyed its human victims.

America was the worst place in the world in which to fail, fall sick, get old or die, because then your problems had crystallised into the unforgivable sin. Failure.

I hate people doing an emotional striptease. It's never genuine or they wouldn't drag outsiders m.

There aren't many idealists in politics.

There is always a moment when you think of death as a way easier than life.

Sleep always eluded the pursuer.

What do people mean when they say, 'I am not afraid of God because I know He is good'? Have they never even been to a dentist?

Poetry carries the imagery which is large enough for the kind of life we want for ourselves.

Did you really think I would be this excited about college if I thought I'd be leaving my girl behind?

Oh, she takes care of herself. She can wait if she wants. She's ahead of her time. Oh, and she never gives out. And she never gives in. She just changes her mind.

Which of us is other than a secret to all but God!

A market that's as open as possible is the precondition for a successful economy, and a successful economy is the precondition to being able to pay for social security.

The only power deserving the name is that of masses, and of governments while they make themselves the organ of the tendencies and instincts of masses.

There is an old saying: a champion is someone who is willing to be uncomfortable.

I consider failures to be the compost that feeds the better and best that is on its way.

The concept of being a locavore, or one who chooses whenever possible to incorporate locally grown or locally produced food into one's nutrition plan, is of great importance